A microcapsure (microsphere) (hereinafter also referred to as MC) is first prepared by the aqueous drying method, etc., then separated, concentrated and recovered, after which mannitol etc. are added and dissolved, to yield an MC suspension, which is then dehydrated and dried by freeze-drying to yield a finished microcapsule powder (microsphere powder) (hereinafter also referred to as MC powder). In this operation, it is common practice to dispense the MC suspension to a tray and freeze-dry the suspension.
However, because of the necessity of manual aseptic removal and recovery of the MC powder from the tray using a scraper after completion of freeze-drying, the conventional method has the drawbacks described below.    (1) MC powder adhesion to the tray necessitates the removal of MC powder using a scraper at the time of its recovery.    (2) Because scraping is conducted manually, and because it takes a relatively long time to recover the MC, the MC is exposed to the environment for an extended period of time, resulting in the constant risk of contamination with microorganisms etc., an aspect undesirable from the viewpoint of assurance of sterility. Also, because the MC preparations need water content control, such long environmental exposure poses a risk from the viewpoint of physicochemical stability.    (3) Because the use of a scraper is essential for the scraping process, there is a risk of production and invasion of foreign substances attributable to friction between the tray and scraper.    (4) Because of adhesion of the MC powder and tray, some MC powders ramin on the tray and unrecovered, even after scraping.